A quiet, personal Memorial Day

American Legion, volunteers keep the memories alive

- LESLIE LANDRIGAN

STONINGTON—Against a cobalt sky and the white clapboards of Burnt Cove Church, Debbie and Ron Alley placed two American flags into the neatly trimmed grass near the remains of Civil War veteran Oliver B. Mills. It was May 19, six days before Memorial Day, and the Alleys, both veterans, had many more graves to decorate.

Veterans from the American Revolution to the Vietnam War are buried in cemeteries throughout the island. Many had been forgotten until a committed network of islanders quietly went about the business of restoring—and honoring—their memories. So despite the pandemic that shut down the traditional Memorial Day gatherings, Debbie and Ron Alley still did their part.

“It’s a shame we can’t do what we normally do,” said Debbie Alley. “But people have to be safe.”